Alexis Richardson, 9, from Plainfield died April 19 in an ATV crash. (Photo courtesy Richardson family’s GoFundMe page)

An 9-year-old girl died April 19 after an ATV she was a passenger in crashed into a rocky culvert in Plainfield.

Alexis Richardson, a fourth-grade student at Grande Park Elementary School in District 308, was pronounced dead at Loyola Medical Center after being air-lifted from the scene of the crash.

According to Plainfield Police, officers were called to an area near 135th Street and Ridge Road around 6:55 p.m. for reports of a major crash involving an all terrain vehicle.

When they arrived, first responders found the ATV lying just off the roadway in a patch of grass west of Ridge Road, just south of a rock-lined culvert.

Police said they also found an injured 53-year-old-man who was conscious, breathing, and “writhing in pain” Sgt. Mike Fisher said.  Richardson was found nearby, unconscious and not breathing.

Someone passing by the scene witnessed what happened and rushed to help Richardson, Fisher said. The good Samaritan administered CPR on the child until police and paramedics arrived.

“We nearly immediately called for a helicopter,” Fisher said of the severity of the girl’s injuries. She was flown by LifeStar to the hospital where she later died.

The injured man was taken to Rush-Copley Medical Center in Aurora via an ambulance with serious but non-life threatening injuries.

For Fisher and other first responders, the incident was one that affected them all, he said.

“It’s one of those things where, unfortunately, in our business, we become pretty immune to a lot of things that would bother most people,” Fisher said. “We have to be that way. We have to have a hard shell on us. I’d say 99 percent of the things we see don’t really bother us, but this is the 1 percent.”

He said counselors have been made available to officers, and they have been debriefed on what they’d seen on the scene of the crash.

“Whether you’re a single guy or a female officer with a bunch of kids, this stuff tears at your heartstrings. You don’t let it go no matter how hard you try. But you deal with it and move on. You get through it and move onto the next (case),” he said.

At Richardson’s school, administrators are also extending counseling services to students dealing with the young girl’s loss.

“We are all deeply affected by the tragic loss of this delightful student,” District Superintendent Matthew Wendt said. ” Alexis will be remembered as a happy, bubbly, and caring young girl that did whatever she could to make others smile. She was truly a bright and talented student in her classroom, loved school and enjoyed being with her friends.”

Richardson’s family declined to comment about the situation, but a GoFundMe page has been set up on Richardson’s behalf.

Alexis “was full of life, vibrant, and healthy,” the page’s creator wrote. “Her life was taken unexpectedly in a tragic accident, leaving both parents responsible for laying her to rest.”

Within a day of the fundraising site going live online, the family raised nearly $27,000.

As far as charges are concerned, Fisher said it could take months to decide. Accident reconstructionists spent hours at the scene detailing the path of the ATV, its speed and other factors that will allow investigators to piece together what happened during the fatal ride.

Because it is illegal to drive an ATV on public property, which the vehicle’s driver did on the day of the crash, he could face simple charges. But, if it is determined he was reckless, or drugs/alcohol were involved, the charges could rise to reckless homicide, Fisher said.

“We’ll put together the whole picture for the State’s Attorney and he will come up with appropriate charges based on that,” Fisher said.

Fisher also took time to warn residents of the dangers of all terrain vehicles, especially as summer approaches.

“We just want to emphasize that they’re dangerous,” he said. “You have to be diligent about where you’re riding it at, that you’re wearing appropriate safety equipment, that you have the appropriate amount of passengers.”

Fisher said Richardson was wearing a helmet, but it appeared to be adult-sized and flew off her head during the crash. It was found nearby, he said.

“Obviously for her size and weight it was and inappropriate safety device to be wearing,” he said. “The importance of the safety items is that they fit property. It did come of her and obviously didn’t do its job.”

Fisher said a giant sticker on the back of the ATV Richardson was riding specifically stated that it was a single passenger vehicle.

The investigation into the crash is ongoing. To donate to Richardson’s fundraiser visit:

https://www.gofundme.com/2tn55wfw

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